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The core idea of Elmer Stewart Rhodes鈥� group, the Oath Keepers, is that its members vow to support the oaths they took on joining law enforcement or the military to defend the Constitution forever and the group鈥檚 own list of 10 鈥淥rders We Will Not Obey.鈥� The list is a compendium of perceived, unrealized threats from the government 鈥� orders, for instance, to force Americans into concentration camps, confiscate their guns or cooperate with foreign troops in the United States.

These supposed threats are, in fact, part of the central conspiracy theory advocated by the antigovernment movement of which the Oath Keepers is a part 鈥� the听baseless that the federal government plans to impose martial law, seize Americans鈥� weapons, force those who resist into concentration camps and, ultimately, push the country into a one-world socialistic government known as the 鈥淣ew World Order.鈥� In 2013, the group听听meant to defend Americans against the New World Order.

With Rhodes at the helm, the group continued to promote their own version of vigilante justice by providing voluntary and sometimes illegal security during tense situations in America, after a terrorist attack and during the protests in Ferguson, Missouri, and by taking part in multiple standoffs against the government.听Rhodes had his group patrol the polls in an activity they called Operation Sabot during the 2016 presidential election. Rhodes and Oath Keepers supported Donald Trump during his presidency.

During this time, Rhodes became increasingly conspiratorial, adopting and peddling a number of fringe right-wing conspiracy theories with the assistance of his friend Alex Jones. These ideas included making false claims that a听听and mobilizing his followers to take part in the January 2021 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol in an effort to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

At least 17 members of the Oath Keepers have been charged with taking part in the insurrection that left five people dead and several Capitol police officers injured. Among those members who have been identified as having played a role in the insurrection, charges have varied but include 鈥溾��

On Jan. 12, 2022, a grand jury , along with 10 other Oath Keepers, in the District of Columbia for plotting to obstruct a legal turnover of presidential power. Nine defendants were already facing other charges related to their alleged participation in the insurrection.

Rhodes was charged with seditious conspiracy; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of an official proceeding and aiding and abetting; conspiracy to prevent an officer from discharging any duties; and tampering with documents or proceedings and aiding and abetting. He was arrested Jan. 13 at his Texas home and pleaded not guilty in a Jan. 25, 2022, virtual court hearing.

In their own words

鈥淪o you just refuse to acknowledge that anything [President Joe Biden] does is constitutional. Because it wouldn鈥檛 be constitutional anyway. Even if he were duly elected, he would still by violating his oath in passing unconstitutional nonsense. But he was not duly elected. It鈥檚 just amazing that Trump let the election be stolen out from under him and to let our country be stolen like this, our government. So we have an opportunity to walk the path of the Founding Fathers and declare your independence from that illegitimate regime.鈥濃�� Stewart Rhodes, as quoted in 鈥淥ath Keepers leader Stewart Rhodes calls for Militia members to prepare for violence against 鈥榠llegitimate鈥� Biden administration,鈥� , Jan. 20, 2021

鈥淵ou needed to be raising local militias in your towns and counties, and like the Founders did, you need to then nullify, refuse to comply, and when they come for you, you defend yourselves. But you鈥檝e got to do it together. Don鈥檛 be isolated and alone. Do it together as a united community.鈥澨�

鈥淭his election was stolen and this is a communist/Deep State coup, every bit as corrupt and illegitimate as what is done in third world banana republics. We must refuse to EVER recognize this as a legitimate election, and refuse to recognize Biden as a legitimate winner, and refuse to ever recognize him as the President of the United States. This election was stolen by corrupt, law-breaking Democrat partisans on the ground, and by the manipulation of the CIA created听HAMMR (鈥淗ammer鈥�) and Scorecard programs.鈥� 鈥� Stewart Rhodes, 鈥淐all to Action! March on DC, Stop the Steal, Defend the President, & Defeat the Deep State,鈥� , Nov. 10, 2020

鈥淚f Biden wins, I think a civil war is very likely because what do you do when you鈥檝e got millions of people who reject our history, reject our constitution and want to impose Marxism on the country. We鈥檙e heading for conflict.鈥� 鈥� Stewart Rhodes, as quoted in 鈥淧rimed by Trump, Militias Gear up for 鈥楽tolen鈥� US Election.鈥澨�The Times, June 29, 2020

鈥淲e鈥檒l go undercover and look for people we think are committing voting fraud. We鈥檙e looking for indicators that they鈥檝e got people who aren鈥檛 US citizens voting; then we can go and suppress that behaviour by letting it be known that we鈥檙e watching. We鈥檒l videotape them and turn it over to law enforcement.鈥� 鈥� Stewart Rhodes, as quoted in 鈥淧rimed by Trump, Militias Gear up for 鈥楽tolen鈥� US Election.鈥澨�, June 29, 2020

鈥淭his last week, Veterans On Patrol (VOP), out of Tucson, Arizona, released some disturbing video footage showing an obvious 鈥榬ape tree鈥� with restraints set at child height, and a very suspicious buried water/septic tank used as a 鈥榮helter鈥� (see photo above) with the concurrent presence of children鈥檚 toys and children鈥檚 clothing, in combination with porn magazines. In response, Oath Keepers sent some of our most experienced Arizona LEO leaders to the site to inspect it and interview witnesses.鈥� 鈥� Stewart Rhodes, 鈥淥ath Keepers Call to Action: Operation Child Shield in Tucson, Arizona.鈥澨�, June 6, 2018

鈥淕O ARMED.听Screw their stupid, unlawful orders, edicts, and pretend legislation.听Go armed, at all times, as free men and women, and be ready to do sudden battle, anywhere, anytime, and with utter recklessness.听That IS the price of freedom.鈥� 鈥� Stewart Rhodes, 鈥�,鈥� on the Oath Keepers鈥� website, July 17, 2015

鈥淚t is the height of Orwellian perversion of language and logic to say that disarming you of the most effective arms for combat that you still have is somehow not really disarming you, because you still have hunting rifles and shotguns. And you can bet that if you let them take away your military semi-autos, next on their list will be bolt action rifles, which they will call 鈥榮niper rifles鈥� (and by God, that is certainly what they are good for!)鈥� 鈥� Stewart Rhodes, 鈥�,鈥欌�� on the Oath Keepers鈥� website, Dec. 19, 2012

鈥淲hen the Federal Reserve created fiat money system collapses, when the ship sinks, they will then 鈥榬escue us鈥� by sweeping us all onboard the U.N.N. Global Leviathan 鈥� their 鈥榝inal solution鈥� of a world-wide version of the 鈥楩ed鈥� along with 鈥榳orld governance.鈥� That has been their plan all along.鈥� 鈥� Stewart Rhodes, 鈥淥ath Keepers Operation Sleeping Giant: Awakening Veterans to Get off the U.S.S. Economic Titanic and Back Onboard the U.S.S. Constitution,鈥澨�

Background

听and joined the Army after finishing high school. He became a paratrooper, receiving an honorable discharge due to an injury in a night parachuting accident.听. Rhodes claims he taught听 during his time there. He also bounced around to a number of other jobs, including working as a certified听听and a valet driver.

After college, his first political job was听, then a Republican congressman from Texas. Rhodes subsequently attended听. He later volunteered on Paul鈥檚 failed 2008 presidential campaign.

Following his experience with the Paul campaign, Rhodes published one of his first political diatribes. Appearing on his blog in January 2008, the post blasted political opponents鈥� charges that Paul was linked to hate groups and racists. (The congressman鈥檚听Ron Paul Report, in fact, did contain many racist statements over the years, but Paul has claimed that he did not write or read them).听Using the fevered language that would become his trademark, Rhodes railed against the 鈥渇ull-blown smear campaign.鈥澨�听Rhodes went on to disclose that his maternal ancestors were Hispanic and 鈥淎merican-Indian,鈥� and made the argument that because he was 鈥渕ixed-race鈥� and saw no indication of racism, the claims against Paul had no merit.

Rhodes then took a hard-right turn away from electoral politics in 2009, forming the Oath Keepers, a Nevada nonprofit organization. He began recruiting current and former military officers, veterans and police officers, and started the Oath Keepers blog. At a 2009 rally in Lexington, Massachusetts, he听officially launched the Oath Keepers before a large crowd of first responders.

Rhodes moved from Nevada to Montana, relocating his law practice and joining a growing movement presence in the Big Sky state.

By 2011, the Oath Keepers had members in every state, Rhodes said, and the group was听, although that is an unverifiable and highly unlikely number.

Rhodes鈥� fervent call to resist perceived government overreach has been amplified with frequent media appearances on platforms offered by megaphone-wielding demagogues听, and through alliances with right-wing groups, including extreme听.

In recent years, Rhodes鈥� actions have vividly revealed the danger of his conspiracy-inflamed convictions as the mouthpiece for the Oath Keepers organization.

Daniel Knight Hayden, an Oklahoma man and self-identified Oath Keeper,听.听. Another troubling example: Matthew Fairfield, a suburban Cleveland man described by prosecutors as the president of a local Oath Keepers chapter, was sentenced to听.

And, in a widely publicized case, another Oath Keeper was sentenced to 30 years in prison for raping his own 7-year-old daughter. After failing to appear for trial in 2010, Charles Dyer, an ex-Marine, led police on a multi-state chase and began issuing threats against law enforcement, warning that they鈥檇 better not catch up to him. 础濒迟丑辞耻驳丑听.

In 2011,听, a small Arizona town, to defend local residents who were ejected after refusing to leave a Town Council meeting on alleged government corruption. Led by Rhodes, the Oath Keepers marched into town, and the group鈥檚 website called Quartzsite a pivot point for Americans to finally see the looming danger of the 鈥淣ew World Order.鈥� The upshot:听.

Rhodes has appeared at antigovernment-themed organizing rallies,听听and the听. He falsely contends that states have the right to disregard federal laws and that any form of gun control is a noxious attack on freedom that should trigger resistance. When gun control efforts ratcheted up in early 2013,听, Rhodes announced Oath Keeper rallies at statehouses across the nation to send lawmakers the message that听听their constitutional oaths. He鈥檚 appeared on shows such as听听the most listened-to overnight radio program in North America, and the radio show of Alex Jones, an uber-conspiracy theorist who maintains a 24/7 livestream of far-right shows on his platform.

That same year Rhodes said he planned to create local militia units, organized along the lines of U.S. Special Forces teams and filled with Oath Keepers, to provide security 鈥渄uring crisis鈥� and help train local militias.听听It was the first time Rhodes had ventured beyond words into practical preparations for dealing with the government-created apocalypse he fears so deeply.

These fears fueled Rhodes鈥� desire to engage in activities that directly challenged the government, and in 2014, the Oath Keepers ramped up their antigovernment activities when they joined the infamous Bundy family to take part in a听standoff against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Initially the Bundy family, known for their contempt of federal authority, rallied antigovernment supporters that April to support Cliven Bundy鈥檚 ongoing dispute with the BLM over grazing rights. Cliven, head of the Bundy family, and his sons Ryan and Ammon adhere to the antigovernment belief that the federal government has no right to own public lands. The dispute escalated when Cliven continued to graze his cattle in an area known as Gold Butte, Nevada, without paying grazing fees.

Rhodes seized the opportunity to mobilize his followers and Mike Vanderboegh, founder of the antigovernment Three Percenter movement, to join him at the Bundy ranch.

At one point, Rhodes claimed to be serving as the messenger for Ammon Bundy, relaying instructions for all those who wished to support their movement in person. It wasn鈥檛 long before the camp was overrun by baseless conspiracy theories that eventually served as the catalyst for much of the infighting among extremists. Oath Keepers peddled the idea that Eric Holder, then attorney general for former President Barack Obama, was in the midst of ordering a drone strike on the Bundy encampment. This, of course, was nothing but a wild rumor. Regardless of the facts, Rhodes and the Oath Keepers eventually retreated from the Bunkerville ranch.

After the rumored drone strike never occurred, a disgraced Rhodes and the Oath Keepers went on to be labeled traitors and deserters in antigovernment circles. The events at Bunkerville were just the begi颅nning of Rhodes engaging in borderline illegal activities. Not long after the Bundy incident, Rhodes took part in the Ferguson, Missouri, protests in the wake of the killing of Michael Brown, a Black man who was shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. Protests broke out after a grand jury declined to indict Wilson in November 2014. Oath Keepers capitalized on the events and descended on Ferguson, armed and ready to confront protesters in what they claimed was a move to protect businesses.

Oath Keepers showed up not only brandishing firearms but also taking to business rooftops as a way to make their presence known. The stunt resulted in听local authorities issuing a statement听and calling on the Oath Keepers to step down and cease their activities, even going as far as to characterize their actions as illegal.

About a year after the events in Ferguson, Rhodes once again made news when he tried to insert the Oath Keepers into the tenuous discussion surrounding gay marriage. That year, anti-LGBTQ Kentucky clerk Kim Davis received national attention when she refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, in direct defiance of the Supreme Court ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges.听听and subsequently released with the expectation that she would adhere to the court鈥檚 decision.

In the aftermath of her release, Rhodes claimed to have personally reached out to Davis鈥� legal team to 鈥溾��

As Hatewatch reported, Rhodes alleged the Oath Keepers fixation with Davis鈥� case was purely out of concern for her rights, arguing that 鈥淔ederal District Court Judge David Bunning grossly overstepped his bounds and violated Mrs. Davis鈥� right to due process, and in particular her right to a jury trial.鈥�

Davis鈥� legal team ultimately declined Rhodes鈥檚 offer for 鈥減rotection,鈥� but that didn鈥檛 stop Rhodes and his group from echoing their support for Davis. In a post shared just a few days after Davis declined the offer, Rhodes announced the cancellation of a planned security detail and instead reminded his followers that the U.S. was still a 鈥渇ree country鈥�

These performative shows of force continued that year when Rhodes and Oath Keepers once again organized to oppose the Bureau of Land Management. The events around Sugar Pine Mine in Josephine County, Oregon, kicked off after BLM officers assessed the mining property of Rick Barclay and George Backes and concluded that the appropriate paperwork had not been filed for the type of activity that was taking place on the property. According to a report by听High Country News, The Surface Resources Act of 1955听听In the case of Sugar Pine Mine,听although the mine was situated on land administered by the BLM, Barclay and Backes argued that because their claim was filed before 1955, they didn鈥檛 have to adhere to the BLM鈥檚 regulations.

Soon after, Barclay and Backes called on Rhodes and the Josephine County chapter of the Oath Keepers for support, urging antigovernment extremists to descend on Oregon. The move reignited the longstanding feud between the antigovernment movement and the federal government. As for Rhodes, it was later reported that he had dialed in for calls with the Josephine County chapter, and according to Mary Emerick, the chapter spokesperson at that time, Rhodes claimed his goal was听

Tension eventually subsided after a judge ordered the BLM to halt the enforcement of federal regulations while the dispute over Sugar Pine Mine was being adjudicated.听Rhodes and the Josephine County chapter interpreted the judge鈥檚 orders as a sign of victory听and took to online platforms to express their joy at the supposed success of their operations. The incident at Sugar Pine Mine became a lightning rod for Oath Keepers, sympathizers and other extremist groups such as Three Percenter organizations, and marked the start of a growing trend that emboldened radical insurgents to test the limits of federal authority.

In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, Rhodes once again made headlines when he announced plans to monitor polling locations, a stunt he called 鈥�Operation Sabot 2016.鈥� Unfazed by previous demonstrations against the federal government, Rhodes called on the Oath Keepers to patrol polling stations with the goal of ensuring the election was not 鈥渟tolen.鈥� Although he refrained from expanding on how Oath Keepers would carry out their operation, Rhodes expressed concern over what he believed were credible threats to voter integrity. These perceived threats were attributed to 鈥渓eftists,鈥� and the entire stunt was rooted in far-right conspiracy theories. Although Rhodes claimed that photo and video documentation would be at the core of Operation Sabot 2016, no evidence of large-scale fraud ever emerged.

础濒迟丑辞耻驳丑听, Donald Trump鈥檚 inauguration marked the first trip the Oath Keepers would take to Washington, D.C., in support of the Trump administration. In January 2017, Rhodes launched what he called 鈥�Operation DefendJ20,鈥� a coordinated effort by Oath Keepers, Three Percenters and the far-right Bikers for Trump group, to descend on the Capitol under the guise of protecting peaceful 鈥淎merican patriots鈥� from supposed 鈥渞adical leftist groups.鈥�

As Rhodes continued to embrace fringe right-wing conspiracy theories and solidify his allegiance to Trump, his closest allies began to drift from his side. Almost two years after the event at Sugar Pine Mine, the Josephine County Oath Keepers chapter founder, Joseph Rice, told Hatewatch听he would be stepping away from the organization. According to Rice, he had a long list of concerns that included a history of poor Oath Keepers leadership and a lack of trust in Rhodes. Although the events around the mine in Oregon ended in a celebratory mood with Oath Keepers claiming victory after fending off the Bureau of Land Management, members in the Josephine County chapter later refused to align themselves with Rhodes, saying that he obsessively 鈥渟elf promotes.鈥�

In early 2018, Rhodes was once again hit with another major blow when his wife at the time,听Tasha Vonn Adams Rhodes, filed a petition for protection in Lincoln County, Montana, accusing him of violent behavior toward their family. In the document, Vonn Adam Rhodes claimed Rhodes previously choked their teenage daughter and had a history of recklessly waving his handgun in the direction of their neighbors鈥� home, as well as pointing the gun at his own head, during disputes. Included in the petition,听which was filed on Feb. 20, 2018, Vonn Adam Rhodes stated she filed for divorce just a few days prior and was 鈥渢errified.鈥�

The family drama didn鈥檛 stop Rhodes from pursuing far-right conspiracy theories. In what then-President Trump dubbed an 鈥溾�� by the supposed migrant caravan from Central and South America, antigovernment extremists turned their attention to the American Southwest. That year Rhodes and the听Oath Keepers teamed up with the QAnon militant group known as Veterans on Patrol (VOP), led by Michael 鈥淟ewis Arthur鈥� Meyer, to track down and expose what they believed were child sex-trafficking rings operating near the border.

According to Meyer, VOP found child remains and remnants of campsites during their border recon missions. Their unsubstantiated claims, which had been debunked a number of times by law enforcement and forensic experts, didn鈥檛 stop Rhodes from issuing a call to action for Oath Keepers to provide support for Meyer and his group.

In his call to action, Rhodes urged followers to travel to Arizona to 鈥減rovide security鈥� for VOP, as well as to donate cash and help fund the expenses for those who would be taking on the endeavor. Their joint operation ultimately yielded no evidence of child sex trafficking rings.

At the height of the Trump presidency the antigovernment movement frequently politicized mass tragedies. In the听wake of the 2019 New Zealand mosque shootings that left 51 people dead, Rhodes immediately took to Infowars to justify some of the killers鈥� motives. In his interview with Alex Jones, Rhodes said he shared the same concerns as the shooter, both peddling fears of a supposed imminent 鈥渢hreat to the West鈥� from immigrating Muslims.

As the 2020 general election approached, Rhodes continued to perpetuate talking points around the looming threat of increased immigration, which in his mind听would lead to an 鈥渋nvasion鈥� that would favor Democrats at the polls. The uncertainty around the election only increased Rhodes鈥� extreme rhetoric.

, just days before the official election, Rhodes returned to the internet conspiracy program Infowars to proclaim a 鈥渟econd civil war鈥� was on the horizon. He also touched on a number of wild conspiracy theories ranging from the idea that a 鈥淏enghazi style鈥� attack might be launched against the White House on election night, telling viewers that the Democratic party had been 鈥渂ought鈥� by the Chinese government.

It was the general election that ultimately appears to have pushed Rhodes and the Oath Keepers over the edge. As a retaliatory move against the Democratic process that ultimately elected Joe Biden as the 46th president of the United States, the Oath Keepers and other far-right extremists gained infamy on Jan. 6, 2021, when they are alleged to have stormed the U.S. Capitol building. In the weeks leading up to the insurrection, Rhodes continued to push the idea that election had been stolen from Trump and called on Oath Keepers to continue rallying to听听

On the day of the insurrection, Rhodes could be seen with his fellow Oath Keepers outside the Capitol. The group was providing security for . They were also, as the indictment against Rhodes revealed, actively attempting sedition, according to prosecutors.

Rhodes is alleged to have plotted, with other Oath Keepers members, to use force to oppose the 2020 legal transfer of presidential power. This is according to the indictment, which was unsealed on Jan. 13, 2021, and shared the following information about the part Rhodes played in the conspiracy.

The coordination took place over a series of chats and messages and an online meeting held by Rhodes on Nov. 9, 2020, where the group made plans and prepped for use of force. Rhodes, in a Dec. 11 Signal chat, declared to his members that if Biden won the presidential election 鈥淚t will be a bloody and desperate fight. We are going to have a fight. That can鈥檛 be avoided.鈥� Rhodes doubled down on Dec. 21, 2020, telling a regional Oath Keepers leader, 鈥淲e will have to do a bloody, massively bloody revolution against them. That鈥檚 what鈥檚 going to have to happen.鈥�

The indictment alleges that Rhodes began traveling to D.C. on Jan. 3. Rhodes spent $6,000 on an AR rifle and firearms equipment while passing through Texas. In Mississippi, he purchased more equipment, totaling approximately $4,500. Other Oath Keepers were also allegedly transporting weapons and ammunition to D.C. over the course of that week, initially storing them in Virginia.

While attending Stop the Steal on Jan. 6, Rhodes told his fellow Oath Keepers, 鈥淎ll I see is Trump complaining. I see no intent by him to do anything. So the Patriots are taking it into their own hands. They鈥檝e had enough.鈥� Shortly after Rhodes entered a restricted portion of the Capitol and directed his members to join him.

The indictment describes a meet-up by Rhodes and Oath Keepers members later that evening, in Virginia 鈥渢o celebrate their attack on the Capitol and discuss next steps.鈥� After dinner Rhodes told the Signal chat, 鈥淧atriots entering the Capitol to send a message to the traitors is NOTHING compared to what鈥檚 coming.鈥�

Following Jan. 6, Rhodes spent the next month purchasing $17,500 in additional firearms parts and equipment. He also deleted information on his cellphone related to his part in the insurrection, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

During this time, even as his members faced charges for their part in the insurrection, Rhodes continued to put forward antigovernment conspiracy theories to rile up his base. In late March, he gave a speech in Laredo, Texas, at a March 26 border event titled, 鈥淲e the People For Border Security,鈥� which听听鈥渨as advertised as being hosted by 鈥楶atriots at Large鈥� and 鈥榃omen Fighting for America.鈥欌�� At this event, Rhodes reportedly resurfaced the idea that China was responsible for Trump鈥檚 loss in the general election, citing Biden鈥檚 presidential win as a move by the Chinese government to insert a puppet leader. Rhodes also used the opportunity to claim that he 鈥渕ay go to jail soon鈥� for what he called 鈥渕ade-up crimes.鈥�

Rhodes was correct about going to jail, although it was many months later. He was arrested at his home on Jan. 13 and pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against him on Jan. 25, 2022. He will stand trial later in the year. The seditious conspiracy charge alone, which has been , carries a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.